Political Quotes

“I strongly oppose any further reductions in funding the National Endowment for the Humanities. The agency has responded to a 36-percent budget cut for fiscal year 1996 with major restructuring of programs and staff. Using the House appropriations figures contained in the last two continuing resolutions, NEH is now operating at a 40-percent reduction--$99.5 million instead of the anticipated $110 million. The agency has already eliminated 90 positions from its 260-person staff, streamlined its administrative structure, and cut programs. The suspended programs include: archaeology projects, summer stipends for teachers, dissertation grants, the NEH/National Science Foundation grants, the Kettering Foundation partnership, and, most disturbing to me, the National Conversation initiative. Further staff reductions are now probable. The recent furlough and uncertainty over its budget is preventing the agency from planning, carrying out its mission, and ensuring that the taxpayers dollars are spent wisely. For example, NEH has had to cancel peer review panels. As NEH can fund only 18 percent of the more than 8,500 applications it receives each year, competition for funding is fierce. Ensuring that these funds are awarded to the best proposals is a responsibility that NEH takes seriously. The Humanities Endowment peer review system has been heralded as a model for adoption at other agencies.”